The "Transcendence" movie poster (Tumblr/@nerdyshow)

While his latest film "Transcendence" was widely publicized and has a unique concept, April is always a hard month to sell a film, even a Johnny Depp film. It had a lot going for it, with a star-studded cast including the likes of Morgan Freeman and Kate Mara.

With a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes however, "Transcendence" only made $12.4 million total at the box office this past weekend - and it cost $100 million in production.

Depp's biggest hits over the years (and arguably flops at the same time) have come from a slew of Tim Burton films and of course, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. However, he hasn't been able to hold his own in a film in terms of acting without extra hooplah surrounding him.

Perhaps this is why the film didn't work - Depp was playing an ordinary guy with extraordinary circumstances. We're so used to him playing outlandish characters with crazy costumes and makeup, ranging from Jack Sparrow to Edward Scissorhands to Willie Wonka that it's harder to accept a film like this.

The film concept, surrounding a guy who becomes a computer, was just too strange, even for Depp.

"Transcendence" also opened during an unlucky weekend: when you're surrounded by "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Rio 2" and "Divergent" which are still going strong, you're bound to struggle.

Doesn't it seem like all of his more recent films have flopped? Most notable was "The Lone Ranger" which tanked for Disney this past summer. 

Perhaps Depp should be more careful with his film choices, lest he become another Nicholas Cage (check out this College Humor vid from a few years back to see what I mean). However, it was recently announced that there will be a yet another "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment, Jack Sparrow and all...*face palm*

Bottom line: it's not a fun time to be Johnny Depp. Though he's engaged to Amber Heard, so I guess he's doing okay.

Check out the trailer for "Transcendence" below, in theaters now:

Reach Associate Entertainment Editor Mara Hyman here. Follow her on Twitter here.